IV.K TRANSPORTATION 1. INTRODUCTION This section presents an overview of the existing traffic and circulation system in the proposed Wilshire and La Brea project area. It also discusses the potential impacts to traffic and circulation as a result of the implementation of the proposed project. This section summarizes the findings of the traffic analysis for the Wilshire and La Brea project, prepared by Overland Traffic Consultants in May 2007. A supplemental traffic assessment was prepared by Overland Traffic Consultants in May 2008 to evaluate changes to the design of the project. The supplemental traffic assessment determined that the amount of traffic generated by the project as currently proposed and evaluated in this draft EIR would be less than the amount generated by the project as originally designed and analyzed in the May 2007 Traffic Study. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) prepared a memorandum in June 2008 concurring with the conclusions reached in the supplemental Traffic Assessment and determined that the supplemental traffic analysis adequately evaluated the traffic impacts of the project as currently proposed. The May 2007 Traffic Study, the May 2008 Supplemental Traffic Assessment, and the June 2008 letter from the LADOT are provided in Appendix IV.K of the draft EIR. 2. EXISTING CONDITIONS The assessment of existing conditions relevant to this study includes a description of the freeway, highway, and street systems in the project vicinity, current traffic volumes on these facilities, operating conditions of analyzed intersections and public transit services. The traffic analysis study area includes 16 key intersections located along the primary access routes to and from the project site. The 16 intersections selected for the traffic analysis are expected to have the most direct impact by project traffic andincludethefollowing: 1. 3rd Street and La Brea Avenue 2. 3rd StreetandHighlandAvenue 3. 6th Street and La Brea Avenue 4. Fairfax Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard 5. Hauser Boulevard and Wilshire Boulevard 6. La Brea Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard 7. Sycamore Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard 8. Highland Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard 9. Rossmore Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles Department of City Planning IV.K-1 Wilshire and La Brea Project Draft EIR Impact Sciences, Inc. (906-01) August 2008 IV.K Transportation 10. 8th Street and Wilshire Boulevard 11. 8th Street and La Brea Avenue 12. 8th StreetandSycamoreAvenue 13. Hauser Boulevard and Olympic Boulevard 14. La Brea Avenue and Olympic Boulevard 15. Highland Avenue and Olympic Boulevard 16. Highland Avenue and 8th Street a. Existing Regional Transportation System The Santa Monica (I-10) Freeway provides regional access to the Wilshire and La Brea project site. The project vicinity is well served by major and secondary highways including Beverly Boulevard, Fairfax Avenue, 3 rd Street, Pico Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard, Olympic Boulevard, Melrose Avenue, La Cienega Boulevard, La Brea Avenue, Western Avenue and Vermont Avenue. Brief descriptions of the above mentioned roadways are provided in the following paragraphs. Freeways The Santa Monica (I-10) Freeway is located approximately 2 miles south of the project. It extends easterly from the City of Santa Monica through Downtown Los Angeles and continues easterly as the San Bernardino Freeway into San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The Santa Monica Freeway provides four mainline travel lanes in each direction, with auxiliary lanes between some ramp locations. Highways and Streets Immediate access to the Wilshire and La Brea project site is provided via Wilshire Boulevard, La Brea Avenue,SycamoreAvenue,and8th Street. The existing streets in the vicinity of the project site generally form a grid system, thus allowing easy access to and from the site in all directions. Brief descriptions of the key roadways that provide access to the Wilshire and La Brea project site are provided in the following paragraphs. Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard is designated as an east-west major class II highway and is constructed 70 to 80 feet curb-to-curb on a 100- to 126-foot right-of-way. Two lanes and one peak hour lane in each direction with a median left-turn lane are provided along the roadway. One-hour metered parking is generally permitted during the off-peak hours. Peak hour parking prohibitions are generally in places between Los Angeles Department of City Planning IV.K-2 Wilshire and La Brea Project Draft EIR Impact Sciences, Inc., (906-01) August 2008 IV.K Transportation 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM during the weekdays. Wilshire Boulevard creates the northern boundary of the project site. La Brea Avenue La Brea Avenue is designated as a north-south major class II highway and is constructed 70 to 80 feet curb-to-curb on 100 feet of right-of-way. Two lanes and one peak hour lane in each direction with a median left-turn lane are provided along the roadway. On-street parking on both sides of the street is metered during off-peak travel. La Brea Avenue creates the western boundary of the project site. Sycamore Avenue Sycamore Avenue is designated as a north-south local roadway and provides one lane in each direction in the vicinity of the project site. Sycamore Avenue creates the eastern boundary of the project site. 8th Street 8th Street is designated as an east-west collector roadway and provides one lane in each direction in the project vicinity. 8th Street creates the southern boundary of the project site. Highland Avenue Highland Avenue is designated as a north-south secondary highway in the vicinity of the project site. The roadway is a major six-lane highway with peak hour restricted parking (7:00 AM to 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM in both directions) north of Melrose Avenue and a four-lane roadway south of Melrose Avenue to Wilshire Boulevard. South of Wilshire Boulevard, Highland Avenue provides one lane in each direction. Highland Avenue also connects northerly to the Hollywood Freeway. Fairfax Avenue Fairfax Avenue is designated as a north-south secondary highway and provides two lanes in each direction and median channelization in the vicinity of the project site. Rossmore Avenue Rossmore Avenue is designated as a north-south collector street and provides one lane in each direction in the vicinity of the project site. Los Angeles Department of City Planning IV.K-3 Wilshire and La Brea Project Draft EIR Impact Sciences, Inc., (906-01) August 2008 IV.K Transportation 3rd Street 3rd Street is designated as an east-west secondary highway which provides two lanes in each direction in the vicinity of the project site. 6th Street 6th Street is designated as an east-west major class II highway east of Fairfax Avenue and as a collector street west of Fairfax Avenue. This roadway provides one to two lanes in each direction in the vicinity of the project site. Olympic Boulevard Olympic Boulevard is designated as an east-west major class II highway which provides three lanes in each direction in the vicinity of the project site. Public Transit Service Public transportation in the study area is provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) and LADOT. Metro provides routes 212 and 312 (limited) generally along La Brea Avenue between Hollywood (Hollywood and Vine Station) and Hawthorne (1-105 Station). Metro also provides bus routes 20/21 and 720 (rapid) along Wilshire Boulevard between downtown Los Angeles and the City of Santa Monica. The Metro Purple line rail station is also located at the intersection of Western Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard. Finally, LADOT provides the DASH Fairfax local service. Bus stops are provided on La Brea Avenue and on Wilshire Boulevard in the vicinity of the project site. b. Existing Traffic Volumes and Levels of Service A total of 16 intersections located in the vicinity of the project site were identified and analyzed as part of the traffic analysis for the proposed project. The following presents a description of the methodology utilized to analyze the operating conditions and the resulting levels of service for the analyzed intersections. Level of Service Methodology The traffic conditions analysis was conducted using the Critical Movement Analysis (CMA) method for the study intersections located in the City of Los Angeles. New peak hour traffic counts were collected along with current intersection geometrics and traffic controls to determine the intersection's typical weekday peak hour operating condition. Los Angeles Department of City Planning IV.K-4 Wilshire and La Brea Project Draft EIR Impact Sciences, Inc., (906-01) August 2008 IV.K Transportation Traffic volume data used in the following peak hour intersectional analysis was based on traffic counts conducted by The Traffic Solution, an independent traffic data collection company. Traffic counts were conducted by counting the number of vehicles at each of the 16 study intersections making a movement through the intersection. The peak hour volume for each intersection was then determined by finding the four highest consecutive 15-minute volumes for all movements. The CMA procedure uses a ratio of the traffic volume to the intersection capacity to define the proportion of an hour necessary to accommodate all the traffic moving through the intersection. The CMA procedure adds the highest combination of conflicting traffic volume (V) at an intersection and divides the sum by the intersection capacity value for a V/C ratio. Intersection capacity (C) represents the maximum volume of vehicles which has a reasonable expectation of passing through an intersection in 1 hour under typical traffic flow conditions. V/C ratios provide an ideal means for quantifying intersection operating characteristics for planning purposes. For example, if an intersection has a V/C value of 0.70, the intersection is operating at 70 percent capacity with 30 percent unused capacity.